https://www.scmp.com/rss/326214/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press The head of US Border Patrol, the agency tasked with securing the nation’s frontiers and increasingly tapped by the Trump administration for immigration operations in American cities, announced his resignation on Thursday. Michael Banks’ decision, announced in a Fox News interview and later confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security, was the latest leadership shake-up of officials implementing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and came as the Republican administration appeared... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3353613/us-border-patrol-chief-resigns-latest-trump-team-shake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3353613/us-border-patrol-chief-resigns-latest-trump-team-shake?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2026 18:56:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Congress on Thursday approved funding for most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ending a record-breaking partial government shutdown that has disrupted critical agencies for more than two months. The House approved the measure, already passed by the Senate, sending it to US President Donald Trump, who quickly signed it. It will fund key DHS agencies through the end of the financial year on September 30. It does not include new money for immigration and border enforcement,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352084/us-congress-votes-end-record-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352084/us-congress-votes-end-record-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:19:36 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Yoyo Yue has spent much of her life navigating the complex US immigration system. The 31-year-old Chinese content creator moved from China to a US boarding school, went to university, secured an H-1B visa and later a “green card” – a path long considered the “gold standard” for skilled foreign workers. Now, she said, that path felt far less certain. “The H-1B path today comes with significant uncertainty, not just around job stability, but also around long-term prospects,” Yue said. US President... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351544/why-tougher-us-visa-rules-skilled-foreign-workers-may-end-exodus-asia-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351544/why-tougher-us-visa-rules-skilled-foreign-workers-may-end-exodus-asia-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump’s “gold card” visa, where a foreigner can shell out at least US$1 million to legally live and work in the US, has been approved for one person, said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Thursday – appearing to fall a bit short of an earlier claim. After it launched in December, Lutnick said that the government had sold US$1.3 billion “worth” in just several days, as Trump stood by holding up the gilded ticket and said, “essentially it’s the green card on steroids.” Lutnick... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351221/trumps-gold-card-visa-granted-just-1-person-so-far?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351221/trumps-gold-card-visa-granted-just-1-person-so-far?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 23:32:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump reposted a video and comments from a conservative pundit calling India a “hellhole”, prompting the South Asian country on Thursday to criticise the remarks as “inappropriate”. The comments come ahead of a planned visit next month to India by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who would seek to turn the page on recent tensions between the normally friendly powers. Trump late on Wednesday reposted on social media a video and a screed apparently written by someone else... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351218/china-or-india-or-some-other-hellhole-trump-reposts-anti-immigrant-rant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351218/china-or-india-or-some-other-hellhole-trump-reposts-anti-immigrant-rant?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:07:44 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The US visa system rolls out the “red carpet” for spies and aids China’s alleged efforts to steal American innovation, senators charged at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, as Washington and Beijing intensify competition for dominance in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. Through its permissive legal channels, the US is “inviting, welcoming, come on in with the red carpet rolled out” people who steal military and commercial secrets, Republican Senator Ashley Moody of Florida... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351062/us-visa-system-rolls-out-red-carpet-chinese-spies-congressional-hearing-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351062/us-visa-system-rolls-out-red-carpet-chinese-spies-congressional-hearing-told?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 22:37:28 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Lea Albritton’s mornings belong to the repair shop. Her afternoons belong to the camera. The 40-year-old from Leyte in the central Philippines has lived in the US state of Georgia since 2019 with her 62-year-old American husband, Timothy, running a recreational vehicle repair shop in the mornings. After lunch, she produces videos about Filipino food, migration advice for couples stuck in the fiancée visa queue and glimpses of domestic life for the 250,000 followers of her page, Pinay sa America... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350549/meet-filipino-vloggers-finding-financial-freedom-and-defying-stereotypes-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350549/meet-filipino-vloggers-finding-financial-freedom-and-defying-stereotypes-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Their backgrounds stand out. And not in a good way. Two bankruptcies and six law enforcement jobs in three years. An allegation of lying in a police report to justify a felony charge against an innocent woman – an incident that led to a US$75,000 settlement and criticism of his integrity. A third job candidate once failed to graduate from a police academy, then lasted only three weeks in his only job as a police officer. Their common bond: all were hired recently by US Immigration and Customs... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350552/red-flag-recruits-how-record-us75-billion-ice-expansion-led-questionable-hiring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350552/red-flag-recruits-how-record-us75-billion-ice-expansion-led-questionable-hiring?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 02:48:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Minnesota county is investigating the arrest of a Hmong-American man by federal officers that was captured on video as a potential case of kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment, officials said on Monday. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher said at a news conference they are pursuing information from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that they need for their investigation into the arrest of ChongLy “Scott” Thao, 56, on January 18. Ramsey County includes the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349967/minnesota-investigates-ice-arrest-hmong-american-man-possible-kidnapping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349967/minnesota-investigates-ice-arrest-hmong-american-man-possible-kidnapping?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:57:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former ⁠Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem ⁠has been detained by ICE in the ⁠United States, the agency reported on its website on Monday, after he fled Brazil in September following his conviction for plotting a coup with ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. Ramagem, a former Federal Police inspector, was sentenced to over 16 years in prison for his role ‌in a plot to overturn leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s 2022 election victory over Bolsonaro. Ramagem’s lawyers did not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349961/brazils-fugitive-ex-spy-chief-detained-ice-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349961/brazils-fugitive-ex-spy-chief-detained-ice-us?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:05:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The city of Minneapolis released a video on Monday showing a chase and scuffle that ended in a non-fatal shooting in January and the suspensions of two federal officers involved in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. The video – from a city-owned security camera – captured part of the incident in which federal officers chased a Venezuelan man to his home. Another Venezuelan man who lives there was shot during the confrontation. Federal authorities in February dropped... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349198/video-brings-new-scrutiny-minnesota-ice-shooting-after-charges-against-2-men-collapsed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349198/video-brings-new-scrutiny-minnesota-ice-shooting-after-charges-against-2-men-collapsed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:28:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Democratic Republic of Congo will receive some migrants as part of a new deal under the Trump administration’s third-country programme, its government said on Sunday, the latest such African nation to receive migrants being deported from the United States. The deportees will start arriving in DR Congo this month, the Congolese Ministry of Communications said in a statement, without further details on the date or the number of deportees expected. It described the arrangement as a “temporary”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349108/dr-congo-latest-african-nation-receive-third-country-deportees-us-under-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349108/dr-congo-latest-african-nation-receive-third-country-deportees-us-under-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:53:36 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Trump administration has revoked the green cards or US visas of at least four Iranian nationals connected to the current or former Iranian government, including two who have been detained by immigration authorities and are to be deported. The latest actions were taken just this week when Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined they were no longer eligible for either lawful permanent resident status, or to enter the United States. The steps follow a move late last year in which the visas of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349055/us-arrests-niece-and-grandniece-slain-iran-general-qassem-soleimani?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349055/us-arrests-niece-and-grandniece-slain-iran-general-qassem-soleimani?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:01:54 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai A Chinese fugitive suspected of drug-related crimes has been repatriated from the United States and handed to police in China, the first such case in years, according to state media. The suspect was returned to China by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) via cooperation channels between the two countries, based on information provided by Chinese narcotics control authorities, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, citing the Ministry of Public Security. The Chinese national,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348926/beijing-hails-us-cooperation-ice-returns-suspected-drug-smuggler-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348926/beijing-hails-us-cooperation-ice-returns-suspected-drug-smuggler-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 08:00:11 +0000 Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan After avoiding much of the churn, firings and senior official turnover that marked his first term, US President Donald Trump on Thursday added to the string of high-profile departures in recent days, as bad news heaped more pressure on the White House. The administration announced that US Attorney General Pam Bondi was leaving to be replaced by her deputy, Todd Blanche, in an acting capacity. “We love Pam,” Trump wrote on social media. “She will be transitioning to a much-needed and important... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:20:46 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin China has emerged as a focal point in the debate over US birthright citizenship, as the nation’s Supreme Court appeared sceptical of oral arguments on Wednesday in a landmark case driven by President Donald Trump’s push to restrict the practice. Birthright citizenship “has spawned a sprawling industry of birth tourism”, said Solicitor General D. John Sauer, Trump’s top litigator, in his opening remarks before the highest court in the country. “Uncounted thousands of foreigners from potentially... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348722/china-targeted-birthright-citizenship-debate-supreme-court-justices-sceptical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348722/china-targeted-birthright-citizenship-debate-supreme-court-justices-sceptical?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:21:48 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan A federal judge has revoked the US citizenship of a naturalised married couple from China after their 2021 convictions for stealing sensitive medical trade secrets and sharing them with China, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on Tuesday. On March 30, federal Judge James E. Simmons Jr. of California’s Southern District ordered the denaturalisation of Li Chen and Yu Zhou, ruling their crimes showed a lack of the “good moral character” required for American citizenship. Chen and Zhou... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348592/couple-convicted-stealing-trade-secrets-china-loses-us-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348592/couple-convicted-stealing-trade-secrets-china-loses-us-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:58:41 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday on birthright citizenship, with Chinese nationals at the centre of disputed claims of abuse amplified by US President Donald Trump’s immigration campaign. “Birthright Citizenship is not about rich people from China, and the rest of the World, who want their children, and hundreds of thousands more, FOR PAY, to ridiculously become citizens of the United States of America. It is about the BABIES OF SLAVES!” Trump wrote on social media on... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348460/born-usa-china-targeted-americas-birthright-citizenship-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348460/born-usa-china-targeted-americas-birthright-citizenship-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:55:09 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Like many Asian-Americans, US-born Tiffany Chin has faced her share of slights, including being treated as “other” or “foreign” and judged at times by her race rather than her accomplishments. Growing up outside Chicago, she recalls that in primary school her musical talents were attributed to her “Chinese genes”, and she was told, “you’re probably so good at maths because you’re Asian”. And as an adult on a family trip to Florida, people gave her nasty looks when she went jogging, wondering... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/society-culture/article/3347918/asian-americans-say-they-are-still-seen-foreign-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/society-culture/article/3347918/asian-americans-say-they-are-still-seen-foreign-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:50:58 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to rule in favour of President ⁠Donald Trump’s administration in its defence of the government’s authority to turn away asylum seekers when officials deem US-Mexico border crossings too overburdened to handle additional claims. The justices heard arguments in a legal dispute involving a policy called “metering” that the Republican president’s administration may seek to revive after it was dropped by Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden in 2021.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347771/supreme-court-justices-lean-towards-trump-asylum-processing-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347771/supreme-court-justices-lean-towards-trump-asylum-processing-case?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 20:24:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters Minnesota sued ⁠the federal government on Tuesday, seeking ⁠access to evidence in the fatal shootings by federal officers of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and a shooting that injured another man during an immigration enforcement surge in the state, according to a complaint. The lawsuit against the US Department of ‌Justice and the Department of Homeland Security alleges authorities blocked state investigators from key evidence and information related to the shootings. In late January, following the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347770/minnesota-sues-government-access-evidence-3-shooting-deaths-federal-officers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347770/minnesota-sues-government-access-evidence-3-shooting-deaths-federal-officers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 19:44:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters A federal judge on Monday blocked US President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing a new policy that would subject thousands of refugees to arrest and detention if after a year in the United States they had yet to obtain green ‌cards. US District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston acted at the request of six refugees and two advocacy groups who argued the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) policy was an unlawful departure from decades of practice. The plaintiffs alleged the policy... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347643/us-district-judge-blocks-trump-administration-detaining-thousands-refugees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347643/us-district-judge-blocks-trump-administration-detaining-thousands-refugees?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 21:40:38 +0000 Reuters Reuters Absences among transportation security ⁠workers this weekend reached their highest since a partial US government shutdown began five weeks ago, the Department of Homeland Security said on Sunday, while immigration enforcement agents prepared to fill in for them at some of the busiest US airports. At airports in Houston, New York and Atlanta, more than one-third of Transportation Security Administration staff were calling in sick or otherwise absent, DHS said, as the shutdown left tens of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347514/trump-administration-touts-plan-ice-airports-amid-criticism-union-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347514/trump-administration-touts-plan-ice-airports-amid-criticism-union-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 22:19:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump ⁠on Saturday threatened to ⁠deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement ⁠agents to US airports if congressional Democrats do not immediately agree to fund airport safety. “I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one ‌has ever seen before,” Trump wrote in a social media post. Transportation Security Administration personnel are set to miss a second full pay cheque on March 27 amid a partial government shutdown... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347448/trump-threatens-put-ice-agents-airports-amid-tsa-funding-clash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347448/trump-threatens-put-ice-agents-airports-amid-tsa-funding-clash?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 17:27:05 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Chinese founder of the massive router maker facing national security probes by the Trump administration has applied for an expedited visa under the Trump Gold Card programme, according to people familiar with the matter. California-based TP-Link Systems told the federal agencies scrutinising its operations that founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Chao had applied for permanent residency under the programme, the people said. Successful Gold Card applicants must give a US$1 million... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347222/tp-links-chinese-founder-jeffrey-chao-seeks-us1-million-trump-gold-card-visa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347222/tp-links-chinese-founder-jeffrey-chao-seeks-us1-million-trump-gold-card-visa?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:59:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A US federal appeal court allowed the Trump administration on Monday to temporarily resume summarily deporting undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own. The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in a 2-1 vote, lifted a block on the so-called third-country deportations that had been imposed by a lower court. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled last month that third-country deportations were unlawful but put his ruling on hold to allow the government time to file an appeal. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346805/trump-administration-can-resume-third-country-deportations-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346805/trump-administration-can-resume-third-country-deportations-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:35:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters An Afghan immigrant who previously worked with the US military in Afghanistan and later sought asylum in the United States died this weekend in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody less than 24 hours after ‌being detained in Texas, a US veteran-led advocacy group said on Sunday. Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, who was living in a Dallas suburb with his wife and six children while his asylum case remained pending, was arrested by federal agents outside his flat on Friday morning while... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346691/afghan-asylum-seeker-dies-ice-custody-us-advocacy-group-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346691/afghan-asylum-seeker-dies-ice-custody-us-advocacy-group-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:27:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump ⁠fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday after months of controversy, including the fatal ⁠shootings of two US citizens by federal officers in Minneapolis and lawmakers’ questions over a US$220 million advertising contract. The Republican president will tap Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her by the end of the month, he said on his Truth Social platform on Thursday. The appointment would require US Senate confirmation. “Kristi Noem, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345631/trump-says-kristi-noem-out-homeland-security-chief-amid-immigration-uproar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345631/trump-says-kristi-noem-out-homeland-security-chief-amid-immigration-uproar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:04:24 +0000 Reuters Reuters A nearly blind refugee from Myanmar missing since his release from a Buffalo jail into the custody of US Border Patrol has been found dead on a downtown street, according to city authorities on Wednesday. Police officers in the upstate New York city located the body of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, on Tuesday evening, the Buffalo Police Department said. Shah Alam had been missing since February 19, when US Border Patrol agents dropped ‌him off at a coffee shop miles from his home following his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344687/near-blind-rohingya-refugee-found-dead-after-us-border-agents-release-him-out-cold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344687/near-blind-rohingya-refugee-found-dead-after-us-border-agents-release-him-out-cold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 04:38:25 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Weee, an online grocer specialising in Asian and Latino goods, is betting that America’s appetite for ethnic food and grocery delivery will outlast a sharp drop in immigration, with its founder forecasting years of double-digit growth even as the Trump administration tightens border controls. The San Francisco-based company has seen its annual revenue grow at about 30 to 40 per cent from 2023 to 2025, and is expecting to expand at the same pace in the next five to 10 years, founder and CEO Larry... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3344657/immigration-slows-americas-appetite-ethnic-groceries-keeps-growing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3344657/immigration-slows-americas-appetite-ethnic-groceries-keeps-growing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 22:52:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters US Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin will leave the administration, an agency spokesperson said, a move that comes as public support for President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has dwindled. McLaughlin became a prominent booster of ‌the Republican president’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement and headed the press operation at DHS, which has come under scrutiny for issuing inaccurate or incomplete statements following violent encounters involving... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343848/top-trump-homeland-security-spokeswoman-leaving-amid-backlash-over-immigration-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343848/top-trump-homeland-security-spokeswoman-leaving-amid-backlash-over-immigration-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:53:11 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service A Filipino man awaiting the result of a deportation order has been released from Tacoma’s Northwest ICE Processing Centre following a federal court order that called the man’s detention unconstitutionally “punitive”. US District Judge Tana Lin granted the release requested in Greggy Sorio’s habeas corpus petition on Friday, saying the Tacoma detention centre’s “unreasonable treatment” of Sorio brought about “extreme consequences” for his health. While in Immigration and Customs Enforcement... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343654/ice-releases-detained-filipino-after-unreasonable-failures-care?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343654/ice-releases-detained-filipino-after-unreasonable-failures-care?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 20:28:20 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press White House border tsar Tom Homan said on Sunday that more than 1,000 immigration agents have left Minnesota’s Twin Cities area and hundreds more will depart in the days ahead as part of the Trump administration’s drawdown of its immigration enforcement surge. A “small” security force will stay for a short period to protect remaining immigration agents and will respond “when our agents are out and they get surrounded by agitators and things got out of control”, Homan told CBS’ Face the Nation.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343653/trumps-border-tsar-homan-says-small-security-force-will-remain-minnesota?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343653/trumps-border-tsar-homan-says-small-security-force-will-remain-minnesota?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 19:00:33 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg In early 2013, Jeffrey Epstein’s girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, was stressed about her US visa status. Later that year, she married an American citizen and her worries were gone. A Green Card followed, and in 2018, citizenship. Then Shuliak divorced her spouse: a woman named Jennifer who had been in a relationship with Kimbal Musk – Elon Musk’s brother – after Epstein connected them. “now that she’s an american you should throw her a big ole party,” one of Epstein’s go-to immigration lawyers... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343600/epsteins-girlfriend-married-woman-showing-how-he-gamed-immigration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343600/epsteins-girlfriend-married-woman-showing-how-he-gamed-immigration?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 17:30:38 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Trump administration spent more than US$35 million to deport roughly 300 migrants to countries they had no connection to, doling out millions of dollars in lump sum transfers to foreign governments without a system to track how the money was used, according to a report released on Friday. The figures from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats average out to a cost of roughly US$116,666 per person deported. In Rwanda, which received seven deportees, the total cost reached about US$1.1... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343551/us-paid-us35-million-deport-300-remote-islands-african-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343551/us-paid-us35-million-deport-300-remote-islands-african-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 01:24:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is due in federal court in Minnesota on Friday to enter a plea in a criminal case stemming from his coverage of a protest at a church against US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Lemon, now an independent journalist, livestreamed a protest against Trump’s deployment of ‌thousands of armed immigration agents into Democratic-governed Minnesota’s biggest cities. The protest disrupted a January 18 service at Cities Church in St Paul. He was charged with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343520/us-ex-cnn-anchor-don-lemon-enter-plea-minnesota-ice-protest-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343520/us-ex-cnn-anchor-don-lemon-enter-plea-minnesota-ice-protest-case?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:24:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump’s point man on Thursday announced the end of an aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota that triggered large protests and nationwide outrage following the killing of two US citizens. Thousands of federal agents including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted weeks of sweeping raids and arrests in what the administration claims were targeted missions against criminals. “I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343372/trump-end-minnesota-immigration-crackdown-border-tsar-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343372/trump-end-minnesota-immigration-crackdown-border-tsar-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:09:26 +0000 Reuters Reuters Draped in burnt-orange robes, two dozen Buddhist monks arrived in Washington on Tuesday on a 3,700km (2,300-mile) “Walk for Peace”, a ‌self-described spiritual journey across nine states that has been cheered on by crowds of thousands. “I feel like in our ‍country and in our world right now that you have to show your support for peace in every possible way you can,” said Bob Anderson, 74, of Gloucester County, Virginia, during a stop by the monks in Richmond on February 3. “And so this is a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343110/walk-peace-buddhist-monks-arrive-washington-after-3700km-journey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343110/walk-peace-buddhist-monks-arrive-washington-after-3700km-journey?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 17:14:01 +0000 Reuters Reuters Wearing no trousers, with his tongue sticking out and dancing with ‌the Statue of Liberty, the figure of US President Donald Trump ‍will feature at a German carnival celebration as one of the traditionally satirical and provocative floats. Organisers showcased the various figures in the city of Mainz in western Germany on ⁠Tuesday. They also included Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a sinking boat, with his conservative predecessor and erstwhile rival, Angela Merkel, spearing the boat with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343108/trumps-cheeky-dance-statue-liberty-headline-german-carnival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343108/trumps-cheeky-dance-statue-liberty-headline-german-carnival?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:04:14 +0000 Agencies Agencies US President Donald Trump criticised American Olympic ‌skier Hunter Hess as a “real loser” on Sunday, days after the athlete expressed ‍mixed feelings about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in northern Italy. Freestyle skier Hess was asked at a press conference on Wednesday how he felt about representing America at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, given acute US tension over violent immigration raids and other political crises. “There’s obviously a lot going on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3342857/trump-insults-us-olympic-skier-hunter-hess-calling-freestyler-real-loser?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3342857/trump-insults-us-olympic-skier-hunter-hess-calling-freestyler-real-loser?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 21:27:26 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones The tattoo on his arm reads “buc Lao” (Laos boy) but Kham Paneboun is not a Laotian citizen. In fact, he’s not really from anywhere. In February last year, US Homeland Security detained him for a felony committed as a teenager, revoked his work permit and – after decades of legal residence – deported him to Laos, a country he had never set foot in. Kham, 43, was torn from his wife and four children, aged three to 12, who remain in Texas – a family now paying for a “bad mistake” he made in his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3342712/southeast-asian-refugees-cast-out-trumps-us-face-exile-unknown-lands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3342712/southeast-asian-refugees-cast-out-trumps-us-face-exile-unknown-lands?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration officers in Minnesota but will continue its enforcement operation that has sparked weeks of tensions and deadly confrontations, border tsar Tom Homan said on Wednesday. About 700 federal officers – roughly a quarter of the total deployed to Minnesota – will be withdrawn immediately after state and local officials agreed over the past week to cooperate by turning over arrested immigrants, Homan said. But he did not provide a timeline... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342419/trump-border-tsar-says-700-immigration-officers-leave-minnesota-immediately?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342419/trump-border-tsar-says-700-immigration-officers-leave-minnesota-immediately?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:49:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Colombian President Gustavo Petro and US President Donald Trump appeared to bury the hatchet on Tuesday, after a year of sparring that culminated in threats by Trump to topple the left-wing leader like in Venezuela. “My impression of the meeting a few hours ago is first and foremost that it was positive,” Petro told reporters after meeting Trump at the White House behind closed doors. Trump said he “got along very well” with the leader whom he recently accused of pumping cocaine into the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3342295/trump-makes-colombias-petro-fireworks-free-meeting-hes-been-very-nice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3342295/trump-makes-colombias-petro-fireworks-free-meeting-hes-been-very-nice?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 21:40:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump signed a roughly US$1.2 trillion government funding bill Tuesday that ends the partial federal shutdown that began over the weekend and sets the stage for an intense debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding. The president moved quickly to sign the bill after the House approved it with a 217-214 vote. “This bill is a great victory for the American people,” Trump said. The vote on Tuesday wrapped up congressional work on 11 annual appropriations bills that fund... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342294/us-shutdown-track-end-house-approves-trump-funding-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342294/us-shutdown-track-end-house-approves-trump-funding-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:02:25 +0000 Reuters Reuters Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp defended the firm’s surveillance technology as it reported a big jump in sales on Monday, ‍saying it has safeguards to prevent government overreach, without mentioning US immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota that have drawn widespread protests. The data analytics company said revenue derived from the US government spiked 66 per cent in the fourth quarter from the year-ago period to US$570 million. Total sales of US$1.41 billion exceeded analysts’... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342195/palantir-defends-surveillance-tech-us-government-contracts-boost-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342195/palantir-defends-surveillance-tech-us-government-contracts-boost-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:04:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Congress has teed up a Tuesday vote on a spending bill to end the government shutdown, following a House committee vote late on Monday. The shutdown followed a breakdown in spending negotiations amid Democratic anger in response to federal immigration agents killing two US citizens in Minneapolis, which derailed talks over new money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Late Friday, the Senate had passed a package clearing five outstanding funding bills to cover most federal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342160/trump-urges-no-changes-spending-bill-end-3-day-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342160/trump-urges-no-changes-spending-bill-end-3-day-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:07:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father have returned to their home in a Minneapolis suburb after ‍being detained by US immigration officers and held at a detention facility in Texas, a lawmaker said on Sunday. A federal judge on Saturday ordered the release of Adrian Conejo Arias and his son, whom immigration officers detained during a Minnesota raid. US Congressman Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, wrote in ⁠a social media post that he picked them up on Saturday night at the detention... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342022/5-year-old-liam-conejo-ramos-and-father-return-minnesota-texas-ice-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342022/5-year-old-liam-conejo-ramos-and-father-return-minnesota-texas-ice-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 18:11:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters US House ‍Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday he believes he has the Republican votes to end a partial government shutdown within days and that the chamber will debate Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms for two weeks after that. “I’m confident that we’ll do it at ⁠least by Tuesday. We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town,” Johnson said on NBC’s Meet the Press. Transport problems are persisting following a snowstorm that affected travel in the southeastern US. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342021/us-house-speaker-johnson-says-he-has-votes-end-partial-government-shutdown-tuesday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342021/us-house-speaker-johnson-says-he-has-votes-end-partial-government-shutdown-tuesday?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 17:34:39 +0000 Reuters Reuters French IT company Capgemini will sell its US ‌subsidiary Capgemini Government Solutions, it said on Sunday, after coming ‍under pressure to explain a contract the latter signed with US immigration enforcement agency ICE. French lawmakers, including Finance Minister Roland Lescure, had asked the company to shed light on the contract amid concern over the tactics used by ICE agents following the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minnesota last month. “Capgemini considered that the usual legal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342006/frances-capgemini-sell-us-subsidiary-under-pressure-ice-contract?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342006/frances-capgemini-sell-us-subsidiary-under-pressure-ice-contract?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 11:52:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A five-year-old boy and his father must be released by Tuesday from the Texas centre where they have been held after being detained by immigration officers in Minnesota, a federal judge ordered Saturday in a ruling that harshly criticised US President Donald Trump’s administration’s approach to enforcement. Images of Liam Conejo Ramos, with a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack being surrounded by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights on January... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341971/us-must-release-5-year-old-bunny-hat-boy-detained-ice-judge-orders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341971/us-must-release-5-year-old-bunny-hat-boy-detained-ice-judge-orders?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 22:44:17 +0000